Brandon

Etymology

Brandon is usually a locational surname, referring to someone who came from a place called Brandon. The name is found in several English counties, especially Norfolk and Suffolk, and the surname was applied to people identified by that origin. The place-name itself is generally understood as Old English in form, though the exact original sense can vary by locality and is not always certain from the surname evidence alone.

History

The sources consistently treat Brandon as a place-name surname rather than an occupational or nickname form. Medieval records show the surname in England by at least the late 14th century, and it later spread widely in Britain and beyond. Because there are multiple places called Brandon, the surname may have independent local origins in different families.

Origin

Regions

Variant spellings

Fun fact

Lower explicitly grouped Brandon with English place-name surnames and linked it especially to Brandon in Norfolk and Suffolk.